Emmy nominations arrived Wednesday morning, and looking over my list of non-negotiables, it would appear that Television Academy voters checked off most of the boxes.
Jon Bernthal, Jamie Lee Curtis and Bob Odenkirk all secured nominations for that episode of “The Bear” that set a new standard for emotionally exhausting family holiday gatherings. Jean Smart will be back in the house for “Hacks,” joined by Hannah Einbinder, who should absolutely be winning the Emmy for comedy supporting actress. And though the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was only pretty good, Larry David will return too, good news if your jam is awkward red-carpet interviews.
Even with the usual deluge of submissions, the nominations managed to deliver a fair number of surprises, pleasant and otherwise. And, yes, there were omissions, which, for the sake of alliteration and search engine optimization, we’ll call “snubs.” Because when it comes to this kind of list, that’s a non-negotiable too.
SURPRISE: “Reservation Dogs” (comedy series)
After three seasons and accolades from just about every awards group — Peabody, Writers Guild, American Film Institute, Independent Spirit Awards, for a start — the Emmys finally showed some love to television’s best coming-of-age series just as it was bidding viewers goodbye. You can’t help but wonder what might have been had the Emmys jumped on board sooner, but the show is wistful enough all by itself. No sense in dwelling on what-ifs in this moment of overdue recognition that included the great D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Bear Smallhill) in the supporting actor category.
SURPRISE: “Palm Royale” (comedy series)
Is this really a surprise? Well, yes … and no. Yes, because this Kristen Wiig vehicle was an epic disappointment, a cartoonish slog, a mishmash of tones that might have worked if it had ever picked an approach and stuck with it. (It could have been, for instance, a fun, campy soap.) But Apple TV+ gave it a big promotional push, and the names in the cast — Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett — demanded a certain reflexive respect that it didn’t quite merit.
SURPRISE: Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building” (lead actress comedy)
You like her! You finally like her! Three seasons in, Gomez — an ongoing, essential presence in the show’s central trio alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short — earned her first nomination for Hulu’s still-delightful murder-mystery comedy. Yes, she often functions as the sane, disaffected millennial caught between the two comic legends’ antics, a (sometimes) thankless role that she manages to nonetheless ace.
SNUB: Kelsey Grammer, “Frasier” (lead actor comedy)
Grammer won four Emmys for playing the good Dr. Frasier Crane, taking the last one 20 years ago for what was then the show’s final season. But the reboot too often felt like a cautious exercise in nostalgia. And, apparently, voicing support for a convicted felon doesn’t help your cause with many Emmy voters.
SNUB: “The Curse” (drama series)
Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s pitch-black comedy about a married couple attempting to launch a reality TV show was so excruciating to watch that it ended up being submitted as a drama and no one objected. It was inventive and weird and terrifying and so wholly alienating that I genuinely wonder how many voters saw it through to the end. Not enough, apparently (Emma Stone didn’t even nab a nomination), which, fortunately or unfortunately (I can’t decide) should put an end to any plans for a second season.
SURPRISE: “Ripley” (limited series)
I always try to make the generous assumption about awards season voters, which sometimes makes me look foolish. I say that in case you’re wondering how it can be surprising that the year’s best limited series, a gorgeous, meticulously crafted adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, pulled off a nomination. Some people found “Ripley” to be a bit too methodical in its storytelling. I thought its meticulous attention to detail was riveting and take heart that enough Television Academy members agreed.
SNUB: “Masters of the Air” (limited series)
Don’t dads vote for the Emmys? Sure, this lavish presentation of the American air campaign against Nazi Germany didn’t have the impact of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” but its old-school Greatest Generation approach to history more than satisfied.
SURPRISE: Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” (lead actress limited series)
Playing Babe Paley, she smoked 200 cigarettes a week. That’s worth a nomination all on its own.
SNUB: Kate Winslet, “The Regime” (lead actress limited series)
“The Regime” didn’t quite land as a farcical examination of empty political spectacle and populist authoritarianism, but Winslet was an absolute delight playing the unhinged autocrat who can make an off-key rendition of “If You Leave Me Now” into a thing of ridiculous beauty.
